As Sōmi sped back toward Sunagakure, the battle between Sunagakure and Kirigakure also approached its conclusion.
At the coastal border of the Land of Rivers.
Both Kirigakure and Sunagakure, like Kumogakure, understood the importance of keeping the war away from their own territories.
Thus, Sunagakure had constructed a steep and solid earthen wall along the coastline, determined to hold the enemy at the border.
However, on the most intense battlefield, this wall was utterly ineffective—for the enemies of Sunagakure were Kirigakure's two Jinchūriki.
"Heh heh heh!"
"We meet again, Sasori of the Red Sand!"
A tall man, roughly the same age as Sasori, stood before him, speaking in a tone that was both playful and excited.
This man's appearance was strikingly unique, with sharp teeth filling his mouth and an overall visage resembling a hybrid of human and shark.
However, the most conspicuous feature was the three red Chakra tails swaying behind him, a clear indication of his identity and power.
This man was none other than Kisame Hoshigaki, who, with the help of Minato Namikaze, had become the Three-Tails Jinchūriki.
Under the powerful effects of the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, Kisame had taken a path similar to Sōmi's.
Through relentless, day-after-day subjugation, Kisame had gradually forced the proud Three-Tails to submit.
Although he couldn't yet be considered a Perfect Jinchūriki, Kisame found it remarkably easy to extract the Three-Tails' power through "Chakra Tug-of-War."
Faced with Kisame's provocation, Sasori's expression remained emotionless.
This wasn't their first encounter, after all.
When Kirigakure and Sunagakure first clashed, both sides were shocked by the strength of their opponents.
With Sōmi, who had mastered Perfect Sage Mode, personally assisting Orochimaru, the latter had made rapid progress in his research on Jūgo's Cursed Seal.
Sunagakure had gradually sent ninja to undergo "Cursed Seal Implantation." Once the feasibility of the seals was confirmed, even the Third Kazekage participated personally, receiving the implantation.
Previously, the Third Kazekage had attempted to train in Sage Mode, but due to his insufficient Chakra and mental strength, his progress had been painfully slow.
After witnessing the immense power displayed by Sōmi and Sasori, the Kazekage, unwilling to be overshadowed, chose to enhance his strength by implanting the most volatile Cursed Seal of all—the Cursed Seal of Heaven.
Of course, the Cursed Seals implanted in Sunagakure's ninja had been "deactivated" under Sōmi's strict supervision and warnings.
Sōmi would never allow Orochimaru the chance to inject his soul power into the seals, turning Sunagakure's ninja into hidden vessels for his use.
Aside from the Third Kazekage, who had trained in Sage Mode, the highest success rate for implantation was among the modified Kaguya Clan members.
Failures were not wasted, however. The corpses infused with Natural Energy were all collected by Sasori, who turned them into brand-new puppets.
Thus, when Kirigakure first encountered these "Cursed Seal Units," they were taken aback.
The presence of familiar Kaguya Clan members among the enemy forces left even the Mizukage, Yagura, bewildered.
How had the notoriously unruly Kaguya Clan been turned into such obedient weapons under Sunagakure's control?
In the previous war between the two villages, there had been no sign of such monstrous units...
Sunagakure's greatest shock, on the other hand, came from Kirigakure's two Jinchūriki.
Yagura, it seemed, could fully transform into a Tailed Beast on the battlefield, indicating that he was likely a Perfect Jinchūriki of the Six-Tails.
Meanwhile, the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, though unable to fully transform, unleashed devastating Water Release techniques under the influence of Tailed Beast Chakra. The sheer volume of water from his attacks overwhelmed even the strongest dams.
When Kirigakure launched their assault from the coastline, ordinary Sunagakure ninja were left dumbfounded by the sight of massive waves, towering over ten meters high, surging toward them.
Fortunately, Sasori, who had completed the "Sage Art Yin Seal," could instantly enter Sage Mode. He summoned an enormous, fortress-like Earth Flow Fortress Wall, blocking Kisame's dazzling debut attack.
This immediately caught Kisame's attention, and he chose Sasori as his opponent.
Meanwhile, Yagura faced off against the combined forces of the Third Kazekage, Pakura, and Granny Chiyo.
As the war dragged on, Yagura and his allies began to notice peculiarities.
Reports indicated that the monstrous units of Sunagakure would consume a pill whenever they were on the brink of defeat.
This pill would unleash a surge of powerful Chakra, allowing them to drag several Jōnin-level Kirigakure ninja to their deaths.
Additionally, when Sasori exited his special state, he could summon a beautiful maiden who would bite his wrist, restoring his strength.
Sasori's ability to summon Ichikishimahime was thanks to Sōmi's foresight, as he had prepared several pre-written summoning scrolls stained with blood.
As for the Third Kazekage, who was locked in a fierce battle with Yagura, his Chakra and ninjutsu grew significantly stronger in his transformed "monstrous" state.
However, compared to a Jinchūriki's Chakra reserves, the Kazekage's stamina was noticeably inferior.
Yagura was puzzled by the Kazekage's behavior. Whenever the Kazekage's Chakra was nearly depleted, he would quickly retreat from the battlefield, only to return fully rejuvenated shortly after.
Today, however, was different.
Just as Kisame prepared to engage Sasori in another grueling battle, a massive water-blue firework suddenly blossomed in the sky.
The signal was simple—it meant retreat.
Kisame glanced upward, his fighting spirit freshly ignited, but orders were orders.
Before leaving, he turned to Sasori with a provocative smirk.
"I hope we meet again on the battlefield, you fascinating opponent!"
Sasori, however, stood motionless, his gaze indifferent. Three uniquely designed puppets stood guard before him, while he held a summoning scroll in his hand.
If he were to fight Kisame, he would struggle to hold his ground alone. He would need to summon Ichikishimahime to ensure success.
Killing Kisame, however, would be a monumental challenge. On a battlefield near the sea, Kisame could summon his "Flying Shark" and slip into the ocean at the first sign of danger, as slippery as an eel.
At this moment, Kisame remained unaware of the stark difference in Sunagakure's combat power with and without Sōmi.
Elsewhere
The Third Kazekage flapped his massive iron-sand wings.
His appearance had completely transformed. His body had swelled several times its original size, encased in a gray-black armor-like layer. Triangular keratin spikes jutted from his shoulders and wrists, while his gray-blue hair cascaded down to his chest.
His eye sockets were entirely blackened, leaving only two eerie yellow pupils, making him look monstrous and grotesque.
"What's wrong, Mizukage?"
"Is retreating in fear Kirigakure's style?!"
The Third Kazekage hovered above, looking down mockingly at Yagura on the ground.
The objectives of these top-tier combatants were clear: to hold off the enemy village's strongest fighters. Allowing them to rampage through the ranks of Chūnin and Genin would result in mutual destruction at best.
In his partially Tailed Beast-transformed state, Yagura's expression remained calm. Upon receiving news that Konohagakure and Kumogakure had ceased hostilities, he quickly made his decision.
If Kirigakure couldn't defeat Sunagakure even without Sōmi present, the reality of the situation cast a shadow over Yagura's heart.
However, he also felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, Elder Karatachi had pushed through opposition to sign an alliance treaty with Konohagakure. With his full support in this battle, Konohagakure would not stand idly by if Sunagakure launched a large-scale invasion.
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